The background of the present disclosure is hereinafter introduced with the discussion of techniques relating to its context. However, even when this discussion refers to documents, acts, artifacts and the like, it does not suggest or represent that the discussed techniques are part of the prior art or are common general knowledge in the field relevant to the present disclosure.
The present disclosure relates to the information technology field. More specifically, this disclosure relates to the management of voice conversations.
Voice conversations are the most common form of communication, thanks to their interactive and spontaneous nature.
For this purpose, telephones routinely engage in voice communications or conversations remotely by means of telephone calls, without the need of meeting physically. Particularly, mobile telephones allow their users to perform the telephone calls while moving around by a (voice) connection with a mobile telephone network. Users of (mobile) telephones separated by vast distances engage in conversations thanks to the almost unlimited range of the mobile telephone network.
However, the telephone calls may be not possible when at least one of the involved telephones is unable to connect with the mobile telephone network. For example, users are unable to connect with the mobile telephone network when the mobile telephone network is not present; a structure prevents the connection with the mobile telephone network (such as within a tunnel), or the mobile telephone network is too congested. Moreover, the telephone calls may have a cost (for example, in case of pay-per-use telephone plans for voice traffic or abroad), that some users seek to avoid.
Walkie-talkies, or handheld transceivers (HTs), also enable remote conversations by means of direct radio communications. The walkie-talkies operate in a half-duplex way, wherein every walkie-talkie may transmit audio information to the others at the time (with the walkie-talkies that are normally in receive mode and they are switched into transmit mode by pressing a dedicated button). The walkie-talkies are always available within their transmission range and they may be used to perform conversations substantially instantaneously (because it is enough to push the button without having to dial any telephone number); moreover, the radio communications do not have any cost.
However, the radio communications may be not possible when the walkie-talkies are too far away (i.e., their distance exceeds the corresponding transmission range, for example, of the order of a few kilometers).
Some telephones also provide a Push To Talk (PTT) function that mimics operation of the walkie-talkies, also known as Push-to-talk over cellular (PoC).
For example, a service offered over the Internet implements PTT functionality (accessed by either a data connection with the mobile telephone network or a Wi-Fi connection to access points). The PTT functionality accessed through the Internet may be used to performed conversations substantially instantaneously (like the walkie-talkies) and with users that are substantially everywhere (like the telephone calls); moreover, the conversations may have no cost (for example, in case of flat telephone plans for data traffic).
However, the conversations using the PTT function over the Internet may be not possible when the access to the Internet is not available for at least one of the involved telephones; moreover, the use of the PTT function may cause the reaching of a possible limit of the flat telephone plans.
Alternatively, the PTT function may be implemented by dedicated radio signals. Like the walkie-talkies, the PTT function over dedicated radio signals is always available with its transmission range, it may be used to perform conversations substantially instantaneously and it has no costs, but the corresponding radio communications may be not possible when the telephones are too far away.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,539,505 discloses a Push-to-Talk (PTT) based communication service, the service dynamically creating a PTT group. U.S. Pat. No. 4,806,684 discloses a two-way radio device with combined mobile communication function that comprises at least a radio transceiver module and a 2G/3G transceiver module.